Cassiopeia, Called Cass
by MidnightShadow101
Summary: No one could believe the change that had come over the young prince in the past month. Always playing pranks, always tricking people, and soon, whenever things went wrong, the little boy was always blamed. The Asgardians didn't know it, but the reason for Loki's newfound love for mischief was a little slave girl named Cassiopeia. Or Cass, as he called her. A version of Cinderella.
1. A Black King, His White Queen

**A/N: Thank you to all who decided to read this! First chapter, hope you enjoy. Reviews are appreciated!**

**3rd POV**

He was in the Library, his sanctuary, when he met her.

He was hiding from Thor, and Sif, and Fandral, and Volstagg, and everybody else. He hated the way that they would look at him, as if he didn't belong.

Which was accurate.

Being seventy years old, he hid himself among the piles of dusty books and began to cry, silently, quietly, so that the no one would be able to hear.

He needn't have worried. Asgardians were warriors, not scholars. They found delight in the sharpening of a bright weapon, not the turn of a page in a book. The Great Library was more often than not abandoned.

Hot tears rolled down his pale cheeks as he remembered words that had been said to him, blows that had been rained on him, statements that had been sneered to him. _They are all so _cruel_._

It was dark. Night was falling, and no doubt his mother would be looking for him by now to bring him to dinner. But he would not come. Most likely Thor would have invited his friends to eat with him. He could not bear those looks.

His face was hidden in his arms, so he didn't see her coming. He didn't hear her coming over the sound of his own misery.

So you can understand that he jumped nearly three feet in the air when he felt fingers brush his shoulder.

The first thing he noticed about her was her eyes. Hazel, golden brown with a bright ring of green mixed with a bunch of other colors. Sparkling, dancing, _alive. _Her hair was a dark caramel color.

She seemed to be about the same age as himself, but she was wearing a drab brown dress that went to her knees, and her hair hung loose around her shoulders.

_A slave girl. _He thought with some surprise. _I did not know they could be so young._

"Why are you crying, boy?" She asked, crouching down to his level, hugging her thin knees to her chest.

Loki wiped his eyes. "I'm not crying." He said gruffly. This girl might be a nobody, a slave, but he refused to be weak in front of somebody.

"Yes you are." She reached out a hand and brushed his still-wet cheek. "Why?"

The prince looked away. Finally, he said quietly, "My brother and his friends won't play with me."

She looked sad. "Why not?" She seemed utterly confused as to why they wouldn't.

"They say I'm not like them. They say I'm _different._" He spat the last word out with such bitterness. She cocked her head to the side.

"Well, that's not bad." She sat beside him. "I'm different too, if that makes you feel better."

The words made the corner of his mouth twitch. "Aren't you scared?" He blurted out suddenly.

"Of what?"

"Talking to me."

"Why would I?"

"Aren't slaves forbidden to talk to princes?"

"They are," The girl admitted with some sheepishness. "But I couldn't just let you _cry._ I mean, that's not very nice. And you seem like a nice person."

The compliment made him blush, and he was suddenly very glad that it was dark enough so that she wouldn't see. "You seem like a nice person too."

"Thanks!" She grinned. "Your name is Loki, right?"

He nodded. "What's your name?"

"Cassiopeia." She said proudly. "But you can call me Cass."

"Okay, Cass."

Suddenly the girl shot up, as if she had been poked with a white-hot pin. "I know what'll cheer you up!" She said cheerfully. She started to run away, then stopped, whirled around, and yelled, "Wait there!" and ran off again.

* * *

"How did you get these?" Loki asked in wonder, words muffled since his mouth was full of cake.

Cass swallowed her own mouthful before speaking. "Kitchen. I stole some cakes off the counter when the aides weren't looking. It's easy, if you know how to do it right. I'll teach you how to do it."

"Great!"

The slave girl licked the frosting off her fingers before brushing crumbs off the front of her dress. "Why aren't you enjoying your fancy dinner with your family?" She asked.

Loki shrugged. "I don't want to see my brother right now."

"Thor?"

"Yeah."

"What's he like?"

"He's nice, I guess. But his friends aren't very nice at all!"

She stared at him. "Then why do you want to hang out with them?"

Loki opened his mouth to reply, but found he had no answer. So he merely shrugged.

"Hm, a nice person like you shouldn't play with such nasty people." Cass said matter-of-factly. "Nastiness is con-con-"

"Contagious."

"Yes, that's it. You can catch it, like a cold. That's what my mother told me."

"Your mother?"

"Yeah. She had to let me go due to the economy."

The prince stared at her in open horror before she started giggling.

"Joking. You should see the look on your face. That's just a sentence I picked up from the kitchen aides. Really, my mother is in Valhalla."

Loki put a hand on her shoulder, not being able to comprehend his own life if there wasn't Frigga. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. She's always with me, so I'm not scared." Cass put a hand over her heart, and then looked out the window before frowning. "I have to go." She got up, straightening the wrinkles in the front of her dress. She started to leave.

Loki grabbed her arm. "Will I... see you again?" He asked hopefully.

She turned around and raised her eyebrows. "Of course you will. Do you want to meet me here tomorrow? We'll go to the kitchen and I'll teach you how to steal stuff."

"That sounds great!" Already Loki was wishing it was tomorrow.

* * *

The kitchen in the morning is a bustle of activity, with steam wafting off of the savory stews simmering softly on the stove, the oven on and radiating heat, and people running to and fro, carrying pots and pans and yelling for one another.

No one noticed the two children hiding underneath the center table.

"You have to wait for the right moment." Cass whispered to the prince, who listened carefully. "If you go too early you'll get caught, and if you go too late... you'll get caught."

He nodded.

"So, you have to wait until the baker is focused on something else..." The slave girl watched the baker's shoes and then suddenly she darted out, reaching a hand to the surface of the table and snatching a cake. She looked pleased. "Easy as pie." She nodded at him. "Your turn."

A little too eager to start, Loki went too early and got smacked by the baker. He clutched his hand, wincing, and Cass giggled. "Try again." She suggested. "Usually, they let us stay a little longer until they chase us away completely." She pointed upwards. "The cooks feel bad for us slaves; we usually don't get enough food, so they let us try to steal. They probably think you're one of us. Go again."

* * *

By the end, both of them had two cakes each, although Loki's hand was sore.

"You just have to practice." Cass grinned as he frequently winced. She elbowed him playfully in the ribs. "You're a bit of a baby, aren't you? I guess that comes with being a prince."

He scowled at her, but there was little menace in the expression. She merely grinned.

In the light of day, Loki noticed that her caramel hair shone brightly and that she was actually quite beautiful, for a slave. There was a spray of very faint freckles across her coppery skin.

"Don't you have stuff to do?" Loki asked, looking around curiously at the abandoned hall.

"Loads of chores." Cass stuffed half a cake into her mouth.

"And the reason why you're not doing them is...?"

"You're more fun to hang out with." She shrugged.

"Won't you get punished?"

"Oh, yeah." She nodded vigorously. "But a few lashes are worth it to have a bit of fun."

He seemed horrified, and she added quickly, "Not that they actually _whip _us." She lied. "I mean, they say they will, but they never do. It's kind of stupid actually..." Cass babbled on, cursing herself on the inside, knowing that she tended to ramble when she lied.

Finally, he shook his head and put on the sternest look he could manage. "Cass, as prince of Asgard, I forbid you from talking to me until you have your chores done."

She stared at him, aghast, and started to whine. "But Loki-"

He turned away from her and started to ignore her. She huffed childishly.

"Well, fine then. But you better be ready when I'm done!" She quickly finished the rest of her stolen contraband and took off down the corridor.

* * *

"_Loooooooookiiiiii!_"

The sound became a common noise in the palace. No one could believe the change that had come over the young prince in the past month.

Before he had been quiet and reserved, shy, like a little ghost. Nothing like Thor, who had been loud and friendly and bold. Loki had let himself be bullied and often disappeared for hours at a time where no one could find where he had gone.

Now, in the span of a month, he had become almost as bold as his brother. Always playing pranks, always tricking people, and soon, whenever things went wrong, the little boy was always blamed. The Asgardians didn't know it, but the reason for his newfound love for mischief was a little slave girl named Cassiopeia.

Or Cass, as he called her.

The two were inseparable, often seen running away from an angry guard or enraged maid, laughing their heads off, both of their eyes twinkling with mirth.

* * *

"_When I get ahold of you two-!_" The head maid furiously yelled as the pair in front of her dashed around a corner.

"Loki, quickly!" Cass grabbed his hand and pulled him behind a statue. They crouched down, squashed against each other in the cramped space. The head maid rounded the corner and looked around the empty hallway, fuming.

Cass gripped the prince's hand, her knuckles turning white. Both of their hearts were beating frantically, and not all of it was due to the adrenaline of the prank and their run through the palace.

As the girl looked out into the hallway, cautious, Loki resisted the urge to count the colors in her eyes, or the freckles on her nose.

"Safe." She breathed, pulling him out. They exchanged looks and both burst into peals of laughter again at the sight of the head maid screaming like a banshee at the sight of a snake in her bed.

"Brilliant." Cass gasped, wiping tears out of her eyes. "Brilliant."

He grinned back. "Genius."

* * *

Both of them sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the library, Cass looking over Loki's shoulder as he read aloud. They were surrounded by piles of books.

"...and so the prince cast her out, ordering her to never show her face again."

"This is so sad." Cass murmured, looking mournful. "Why is it that you always pick the sad ones?"

"Sh, it gets happier." Loki assured her before reading on.

When he finally finished, Cass clapped her hands. "That was really great! The ending was nice."

"You always like the happy endings." Loki closed the book.

"Nice girls always like happy endings." She replied.

* * *

The slave girl stumbled backwards and fell on her back, feeling the wind getting knocked out of her as a wooden sword point dug itself into her throat.

"I win." She heard Loki say, and he sheathed his fake sword with a look of satisfaction on his face. He held out a hand.

She took it gladly, although she still whined. "You're so much better at me in everything." She said with a pout, crossing her arms. "Why is that?"

The prince laughed, and flicked a lock of her hair playfully out of her face. "Because I'm a boy."

Her face reddened, not just from anger. "Oh, you're going to pay for that." She promised, and ran at him, tackling him to the ground.

He was so surprised that he didn't even know what was happening until he was on the floor.

"You dare attack your prince!?" He cried out, for dramatic benefit. He was rewarded by her high-pitched giggle.

"I am loyal to no Asgardian." She said in a slow and low voice. "I am a Frost Giant, and I am to kill the heirs to the throne! Feel my power!" She started to tickle him, on the sides where she knew he was most vulnerable.

Soon he was laughing uncontrollably, and she was smirking in victory. "Admit it. Girls _are _better than boys sometimes."

"Al-alright!" He cried out, gasping out the word between laughs. "G-girls are better than b-boys sometimes!"

She stopped, smiling, victorious.

"_Sometimes._" He added, grinning as well, as soon as she ceased her assault. She punched his shoulder.

* * *

Loki cried quietly underneath the table in an abandoned room somewhere in the palace. It was late at night, the room was completely dark, and he was again hiding from Thor's cruel friends. Their words echoed in his head.

_"Thor is the reason Odin had a second child, you are the reason they decided to keep it at two."_

To others, the statement might not seem so harsh, but he flinched whenever he remembered it. He was always being compared, no matter what he did, no matter who he was.

Suddenly there was a face in front of his, and he yelped and drew backwards, thinking, in his moment of fear, that it was a ghost. But then the figure giggled, and he knew who it was.

"Found you!" Cass said gleefully, crawling next to him. "Aw, you were crying again." She put a hand to his cheek and brushed the tears away. "Why?"

"Thor's friends."

She sighed and put an arm around his shoulders. "You're always letting them get to you."

"But what they say is true! I have always been a disappointment." Loki said bitterly. "I can see it in my father's face-"

"That's not true." Cass interrupted him firmly. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I have served in the hall of King Odin. There is nothing but love in his eyes when he looks at you." She smiled. "With Queen Frigga it is especially prominent."

Loki stared at her for a moment, and then suddenly leaned down, putting his head in her lap, bringing his knees to his chest.

He heard a sharp intake of breath, and then timidly, she began to stroke his hair. He found it calming.

"You're not allowed to leave until I fall asleep." He ordered, and she nodded, smiling softly.

* * *

Cass flinched and cried out as she felt another lash rained onto her back. She was in the slave quarters, and it was past curfew.

And she was being whipped. Again.

"Little worm! I hope this serves as a reminder to make sure that you never stay out late again!" The head slaver snapped at her, pulling the whip back for another blow.

_I will stay out late again. If my prince orders me. _Cass wanted to say, to throw the words in the slave driver's face. But she didn't dare. She bit the inside of her cheek and tasted blood.

* * *

"Check." Loki moved his chess piece forward, and Cass sighed.

"I'm never going to win, you know." She groused, swinging her legs. They didn't even reach the floor.

They were in Loki's room, sitting at the table and playing chess, which Loki always beat her in. About a year had passed since they had first met.

Cass knew that she would be punished for this; she was skipping out on her chores again. But the time she spent with Loki was worth it.

She moved her piece backwards, defending, trying to evade the inevitable.

"That won't work, you know." Loki said, grinning. "You're still in check."

"I give up." Cass sighed in defeat. He laughed and started to rearrange the pieces.

"Which piece do you think is the strongest?" Cass asked suddenly, watching his deft hands with interest.

"Hm..." Loki paused briefly to consider, and finally plucked the white queen from its place. "The Queen definitely has the best mobility and attack range, but most people aren't bold enough to use it. But in the right hands, I think that it's the strongest. Fitting," He added. "That the Queen piece would be stronger than the King."

"How so?"

"Some say that if the King is at the head of the kingdom, than the Queen is the heart. Some people grow more attached to the Queen than the King."

Cass grinned. "Like your mother!"

He smiled back. "Yes. Like my mother."

"Well, when you're king, make sure you pick someone really nice to be your queen." Cass grinned.

"I already have."

"Really? Who?"

Loki offered the white Queen piece to her. "Will you be my queen, when I grow up, Cass?"

Cass took it, smiling, face alight with a strange glow. "Of course, Loki!" She took the piece and ran her finger over the white marble.

Neither of them knew the significance of the words.

"Promise?"

"Promise! You keep the black king piece, to remind yourself."

Loki picked up the black King piece, and held it tightly in his hand. "Right."

Cass glanced at the clock and grimaced. "Got to go. Bye, Loki!" She stuffed the chess piece into her pocket and left with a wave.

* * *

They snuck out at night, when it was dark, creeping towards the kitchen. Both were on edge; they had never gone this late before. Cass was trembling with excitement.

They were planning the biggest kitchen theft that they had ever attempted before, and tonight was the night. Provided they didn't get caught.

Cass was barefoot, and the marble floor sent shivers through her foot. Her shakes were not just due to eagerness, but also to the cold. She shuddered; her dress was so worn and thin.

She was so distracted by the chill that she didn't hear the footsteps until they were almost around the corner. Suddenly aware of her mistake, she stopped, grabbed Loki's arm, and started running in the other direction.

"What's wrong?" He hissed at her.

"Someone's coming! Do your invisibility thing!"

He obeyed, and then he was gone. Cass knew that he had used his magic to cloak himself from the normal human eye. She was the one that had helped him practice.

Not a moment too soon. The head slaver rounded the corner behind her, and she heard him shout in alarm. She whirled around.

And then he grinned, pulling the whip from his belt. "Well, well, well. Look who it is. Staying out late again?"

She felt Loki tense beside her. "_You said they don't whip you!_" He whispered furiously.

Cass swallowed. "_I lied._" She answered, low enough for only him to hear.

The slaver flicked the whip and sent it flying through the air, and it hit her shoulder. She cried out in pain, crouching down, covering her head with her arms. _I hate this.  
_

Another lash. Another tongue of fire across her back.

They rained down, blow after blow, constant with no sign of stopping. She whimpered as she felt the hard leather reopen the scars and scabs on her back, making her dress stick to her skin with blood

She hoped that Loki had left, had run away; she never wanted him to see her like this.

* * *

He couldn't move. His feet were frozen with horror as he saw the man flick the whip again, and again, and again. Each time the tip made contact with her skin, she let out a little yelp of pain.

_Is this what the life of a slave is like?_ Loki thought.

The man found a hole in her guard and she screamed as the whip hit her face, leaving a cut across her cheek.

That scream awoke something inside if him. Anger, white and boiling, filling him up with its rage. He was moving forward, lifting the spell, reaching out.

But the whip was already moving again as he threw himself between the slaver and Cass. Suddenly he felt like half of his face was on fire, most prominently right beneath his left eye. He clenched it shut as it started watering.

The slaver looked shocked and hastily bent over in a bow. "P-Prince Loki! What are you doing out of bed?"

"What did you do to her!?" Loki yelled. The wound on his face was starting to bleed, and it only fed the flames of anger in his chest. _I can barely stand one lash. How could Cass survive twenty?_

The man shifted uncomfortably and muttered, "She is a slave, sir, and she snuck out after curfew. It is not allowed..."

"She's an Asgardian!" Cass seemed barely conscious. "She's just like you and I! How could you hurt her?!"

The man was silent, finding that he had no answer to the prince's harsh questions. Finally, Loki just turned around in disgust; he knelt down at the girl's side. The slaver took that as his cue to go, which he did quickly.

"Cass," Loki whispered frantically. "Cass, Cass, Cass, please wake up."

Her eyelids were fluttering. "Wha-?"

"Sh, it's going to be okay." He gently took her form in his arms; she was surprisingly light, and this just made him angrier. _They probably starve the slaves too._

He half-carried half-dragged her to his room, where he cleaned the cut on her face and the ones on her back, managing to heal them with his magic. The multitude of white scars on her back didn't escape his attention.

He managed to heal most of the cuts with magic. After bandaging them, he lifted her onto his bed, sat down in a chair at his bedside, and fell asleep looking at her face.

* * *

When Cass woke up, the cuts on her back didn't hurt nearly as much as she thought they would. In fact, they barely hurt at all.

_Maybe it was just a dream, then. _She thought sleepily. _It wouldn't be the first._

She snuggled deeper into the warm covers, yawning, pulling the silk blankets up to her chin.

Wait... silk?

Cass's eyes flew open and she bolted upright, looking around her. _What in Helheim?_

She was in a bedroom, not the slave quarters, and had been sleeping in a bed, not on a mattress on a floor. She panicked for the briefest moment before noticing the figure at her bedside.

She gaped at him. "Loki?"

Instantly the prince was roused from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, yawning, wincing.

Cass saw the cut under his eye- scabbed over now- and gasped. "Where did you get that?" She dropped from the bed and put a hand out.

He waved her away. "Slaver." He said blearily.

"You're a prince!"

"So?"

"They would never whip a prince!"

"Obviously not." He rolled his eyes and pointed to the wound.

"What's going on? Why am I here?" Cass turned around in a slow circle, examining her new surroundings.

"I fixed you up after the man whipped you."

She stared at him. Finally she said, "You're joking."

"Ever wondered why your back doesn't hurt?"

Immediately she felt her back. Stiff bandages beneath her dress. "But... why?"

It was his turn to stare, except he looked more confused than surprised. "Because we're friends. And you're going to be my queen someday, remember?"

The memory of the promise made her suddenly smile and put a hand to her pocket where she knew the chess piece was. "Right. I remember."

* * *

"She's been talking to your son, sire." The slaver informed the king seriously. His pride still hurt when he remembered the way the prince had yelled at him for _doing his job. _And he wasn't even able to answer the brat. He just stood there, _staring._

"A slave? Talking to Thor?"

"Not Thor. Your other son. Prince Loki."

"Ah." Odin looked uninterested. "It matters not. She is just a servant."

"But I fear that the boy is growing attached to her. I was giving her a punishment for staying out late, and he got in the way. He was invisible, and I accidentally hurt him."

Now the Allfather looked angry. "My son, standing up for a _slave_? He was hurt, you say?"

"Yes, indeed, sire. I think that the girl is getting a little too bold, talking to a prince."

Odin nodded. "I agree. But there's a simple fix."

"What's that?"

"Sell her."

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Don't worry; we flash forward in the next one. **

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	2. Sold!

**3rd POV**

_"Alfheim?" Cass echoed, staring at him, aghast. "You're going to Alfheim?"_

_Loki nodded, toying with the hem of his silver and black tunic. He was nervous. There was a silver crown on his head. "Thor and Mother and Father and me. We're all going."_

_Cass looked down, disappointed. "Why?" _

_He shrugged. "Father says it's nice to get out of the palace sometimes, but I know it's actually a meeting between him and King Halfza."_

_"How long will you be gone?" She whined._

_He cracked a grin. "Only a couple of weeks." He promised. "I'll be back before you know it."_

_"Not in my mind." Cass grumbled. "It'll seem like forever."_

_He laughed, the sound dispelling the unease curled like a snake in his stomach. "Don't worry." He started to go._

_"Don't leave. Please." She grabbed his arm, panic in her voice this time. The prince turned around, looking concerned, and saw the tears welling in her eyes. Automatically he pulled the silk handkerchief from his pocket and wiped them away, then pressing it into her hand and giving her a hug. _

_"It'll be fine." He promised, pulling away. "I'll see you as soon as you get back."_

_"Swear?" _

_"Swear." He made a cross over his heart to show his sincerity, and she smiled._

_The smile emboldened him, and he leaned forward, grabbing her forearms and kissing her forehead. She froze as he pulled away and started to walk towards the main hallway, twisting around and waving cheerfully._

_"Two weeks!" He yelled. "Two weeks!"_

_"Two weeks." She repeated, clenching the handkerchief in her fingers. "Might as well be forever."_

* * *

Cass jerked upright as her eyes flew open. For a moment she blinked, disoriented, but then she sighed.

_Why do these dreams come now? They're just torturing me. _She grimaced before stretching and yawning, cringing as she tried to will away that little bit of soreness in her back, constantly there from the hard mattress she slept on.

There were soft sighs of sleep around her, and she glanced about the room. The rest of the girls were still asleep, chests rising and falling with gentle snores. Reasonable; dawn was barely breaking the horizon.

Cass pulled the brown dress over her sleeping slip, wincing as a sudden streak of pain pulsed in her back. The scabs weren't as healed as they looked.

Something sharp was digging into the back of her leg. Curiously she scooted to the other side of the mattress and found that it was a chess piece.

A white queen.

She smiled and picked it up. _Must've fallen out of my pocket._

She wrapped it in the silk handkerchief in her pocket and stashed it under her mattress before leaving the slave quarters.

The girl headed to the kitchen, humming under her breath.

Morwena was kneading dough at the counter while her aides bustled around, all hurrying to get breakfast done and made before the nobles woke up.

The cook didn't even look up. "Get over here, girl, and help me."

Obediently Cass washed her hands and took her place next to the woman, pulling a knife and cutting board from a drawer and starting to slice strawberries.

"Good sleep?" Morwena asked without taking her eyes off the dough.

Cass shrugged. "The usual." The older woman clucked.

"I keep telling them to give you all proper beds, or at least bedsheets. But will they listen? _"They are slaves; they don't need it."_ Rubbish."

The girl laughed. "What did you expect?" She cut another strawberry with a little more force than necessary. "We're in the fourth column of society."

"It's a shame that people are classified into columns at all." The cook grumbled. Cass smiled, and the two fell into silence.

As soon as they finished preparing, Morwena practically ordered her to take some breakfast. "You're no good with your chores if you have an empty stomach."

Cass sank into a chair near the window. "I'll just breakfast from the mess hall, with the others."

"That's not breakfast. What do they give you, bread and water? How'll that last you through 'till dinner?" The cook slid a plate of biscuits across the table towards her. "Eat one, at least."

She took one and examined it. "You do know that if I'm caught eating this I'll be accused of stealing, right?"

"It's only stealing if they catch you." Morwena replied slyly, and Cass laughed and, feeling persuaded, ate it.

* * *

Her back ached and her arms hurt from holding a sponge for so long. Cass let out a soft moan and stopped in her ceaseless scrubbing of the floor to stretch. Her back snapped in several different places.

She sighed. _How come these floors always manage to get dirty? _She wondered. _I mean, it's like they go out of their way..._

"They" meaning the noble family she served, who were part of Odin's court. A mother and father (heavy drinkers) a daughter (absolutely stupid and absolutely beautiful) and a son (the biggest brat you'll ever meet).

Cass went back to scrubbing.

* * *

"You look tired." Cass noted as she went back to the kitchen later that afternoon to help with dinner.

Morwena did indeed looked pale, and her eyes were red-rimmed as if she had been crying. "For good reason." She muttered.

"What's going on?" The slave stepped forward and integrated herself into the hustle of the kitchen.

"Ioa is going to be sold."

Cass froze, staring, gaping.

Ioa was the sweetest little girl she ever knew, the politest and most smiley slave that you'll ever meet. Always singing, always grinning, pretty and blonde and blue-eyed.

Sold? Sold? Every slave knew that terrible word. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering when she was sold.

_"You can't take me away!" Cass screamed as the slaver pulled her- with some difficulty- towards the marketplace. The girl was fighting tooth and nail to get free. "I need to stay!"_

_"What you need," The slaver growled. "Is a good lashing. But I'm not authorized to do that anymore, see, 'cause I'm not your slaver anymore." He hauled the yelling girl into the slave plaza and sought out a man with brown hair._

_The man surveyed the crying girl. "She doesn't look too obedient."_

_"She'll obey, but only if you teach her how." The slaver replied._

_"Why'd you sell her, anyway?" Cass hated the way the man looked at her, as if she was a horse, or an animal. She shuddered as he took a lock of her hair in his hand and examined it._

_"She was getting a little too friendly with one of the nobility. Decided the best choice was to remove her." _

_"Mm. Well, she's a pretty little thing, I'll give you that."_

_"I'm not going!" Cass snapped, and the man let go of her hair in surprise. "I promised that I would stay! He promised to see me again!"_

_"Oh, really? Who's 'he'?" The man crouched down to her level, looking amused._

_"The prince! He promised, and if you take me away he'll break his promise!"_

_This time he laughed and looked at the slaver. "She made friends with the _prince_? Of Asgard? That's rather entertaining."_

_"Entertaining nothing. Will you take her or not?" _

_"Of course I will. We'll find some use for her." Gold was exchanged, and for a moment Cass was too stunned to do anything. And then she started screaming again._

_"You can't take me! You can't take me! You can't take me away!"_

_"Well, this might be news to you, missy, but I _can _take you away, and I _will _take you away. Oh no, your little Prince Charming might have to wait a little before he sees you again. Looks like he broke his promise."_

"No." Cass said firmly.

Morwena looked confused. "No?"

"No." The slave repeated. "I'm not letting her be sold. When will it happen?"

"Tomorrow morning, a little after breakfast. Why...?"

"I'm going to buy Ioa back. You know what the nobles are like with their drinking. Put a little extra for their dinner tonight and they'll forget they ever sold her. I can bring Ioa back and everything will be fine."

The cook stared at her. "Cassie, to do that, you'd have to have money."

"And I do have money." Cass started to leave. Morwena looked stunned.

"But that's all of your savings-!"

"I'm not going to do anything else with it."

Being a dancer and a singer had its advantages. When Cass did her performances, oftentimes people would pelt her with coins, despite the fact that slaves technically weren't allowed to carry money. She also got money from tips in the marketplace when she would be fetched to deliver something, or to go buy groceries. Cass was always surprised at the number of anti-slavery Asgardians that she met. Some of the nicer ones would slip her food or coins whenever she came.

Morwena looked worried. "Cassie, do you think its enough?"

"I'm pretty sure. But slaves aren't allowed to carry money, or buy other slaves. I'm going to need to steal a dress from the daughter, she's about my size, and perhaps a few hair pins..."

"That, I can do for you." Morwena finally seemed to accept the fact that Cass was going to do it no matter what. "I can do your hair, and help you into the dress after I steal it for you."

"Not _stealing. Borrowing. _I'll return it afterwards; it's not like I'm going to keep it." Cass replied.

* * *

_He had arrived home with excitement buzzing at the base of his skull. _

_Two weeks. Two torturous weeks of meeting other nobles, sitting in his room doing nothing, and restraining himself from causing mischief. It had been torment for him, especially without Cass, who's presence he had never fully appreciated until she wasn't there._

_The slave girl had integrated herself into his life so much that he felt like something was missing when she wasn't there. Like she was his other half._

_When he finally- _finally- _got home, he ran to the library, where he had promised to meet her when he got back. _

_She wasn't there._

_He frowned and looked around, wandering the shelves, looking for her. She was never late. She was usually early._

_He had waited until the sun slipped below the horizon. His mind was making up excuses: She had been whipped, she had been caught, she had forgotten._

_But no, none of them fit. She would've gone out even if she had been whipped, she would've escaped even if she had been caught, and she would _never _forget._

_Dinner with his family was a gloomy affair. Loki just poked at his food, too forlorn to even cause mischief._

_His mother noticed. "Loki, dear, are you not hungry?"_

_Her son shrugged. "Not terribly so."_

_"What's wrong?"_

_The boy sighed and put down his utensils. "I can't find Cass." He said in a frustrated tone. _

_Frigga frowned. "The slave girl?"_

_"Don't _call _her that!" Loki snapped. He glared at his mother. "Why does everybody _call _her that? Her name is Cass!" And he got up and shoved his chair and left the dining hall._

Loki blinked the sleep away, wondering why those dreams came _now _of all times.

_That was ninety years ago. You've forgotten that. You've forgotten _her.

But it wasn't true. Deep down, in a place where pride did not exist, Loki would admit that that day was the worst in his life. Worse than anything Thor's friends had ever said to him.

It was the day Cass had disappeared.

Loki sighed. He might as well go for a walk in the marketplace to clear his thoughts.

* * *

"Really, he's a terrible bore." Lenora critically examined her reflection in the mirror. "I can't stand him. So I think I'll move on to someone else."

Cass pursed her lips to bite back the sneering remark she had been planning to say. "Oh, is that so, milady?" She said instead, politely.

"Mm-hm." Lenora was the spoiled daughter of the nobles Cass served. A genius when it came to roping in men, empty-headed and foolish when it came to everything else. Her brain consisted of two halves: possible lovers and her physical appearance. "I mean, I can't have someone that will make me die of boredom. There's no..."

"Spontaneity?" Cass suggested dryly.

"Yes, that's it. I need someone to surprise me." She dabbed at the corner of her lipstick to fix some microscopic flaw.

"Well, then who'll be the lucky winner of your affections next?" The slave girl asked, not taking her eyes off her task (cleaning Lenora's room). Lenora had decided (somehow) that Cass was her friend, probably because she was the only one that would listen to her when she went on one of her boy-rants. But in reality, Cass couldn't stand Lenora. _An idiot. _

"I'm not sure." Lenora sighed, brushing a lock of light brown hair from her face. "I'll have to think on it."

"Perhaps Fabian, milady?"

"Fabian? No, no, no, not _him. _He's been after me for forever; can't give him what he wants. _Yet._"

"Of course not." Cass rolled her eyes. "That would be terrible."

"Indeed. See, you know what I mean, right?"

Cass looked into Lenora's light brown eyes- so light they might even be called amber- and was reminded of the alcohol men drank to make themselves into fools. "Right."

* * *

"Here you go, Cassie." Morwena laced up the gown in the back. She stepped back to examine her work and nodded approval. "Well, you look like a lady now."

Cass finally opened her eyes and looked at herself in the full-length mirror.

The dress was a little big on her- since Lenora was of healthy weight bordering on pudgy- but otherwise fit okay. Dark green, with gilded sleeves. Her hair had been put into an elaborate braid and then twisted into a bun in the back of her head.

The slave girl cringed. She did look like a noble. "Well, if I must." She started to get up and walked around the room, practicing her gait in such an outfit.

"You wanted to do this, not me." Morwena reminded her, hiding a smile. "Smaller steps, Cassie. You wouldn't want to trip."

"Right."

* * *

Cass felt her heart stop when she entered the slave market. And then it restarted, faster than ever.

_This place... I hate it._

It was indeed dismal, even by a normal person's standards. Little girls and little boys and older girls and older boys stood in groups, wearing the drab brown dresses and tunics that she had changed out of only half an hour ago. Usually dark, dank hair, hanging long and dirty from their bent heads. All of them kept their heads bowed, but if they cared to raise them, she would see dead, defeated eyes.

Her heart ached with pity, but she knew she couldn't take them all. She was here for Ioa.

Cass immediately spotted the blonde out of the sea of black and brown. Light hair was something of a rarity in the slave trade. Herself and Ioa were the only ones that she had known so far.

* * *

It repulsed him, the slave market. Children and adults sold as if they were objects or animals. Being examined like horses at a bidding, where the prettier ones were sold for higher prices and the uglier ones were on sale.

Today there seemed to be a bit of excitement. Amid the brunette's and raven-heads he spotted a head of long, flaxen hair. A young girl, looking frightened by all the fuss over herself, blue eyes widened with fear and hopelessness. She was actually quite pretty. No wonder everyone was falling over themselves to buy her.

Loki paused by the entrance to the market, looking over the bidding with a mixture of horror and fascination.

It happened in an instant. Caramel hair. Hazel eyes. He blinked.

_There. _Someone who looked... familiar.

He felt his feet moving forward.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I know this chapter was a little shorter than my other one. In the future, my chapters should be in the 2,500 to 3,000 word range.**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	3. Have We Met?

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed! Wow! I appreciate every word, thank you thank you thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**3rd POV**

The bidding was already over when Cass had gotten there. Ioa was already being hauled away. Her heart sank to her stomach. _I'm too late._

"Cassie!" Ioa screamed. The sounds broke her heart. "Cassie!" Fear overtook the hopelessness, and the girl desperately reached out.

Cass set her jaw. _Not too late. _And she moved forward, pulling the pouch of money from her pocket.

"Hey!" She yelled at the slave driver, feeling bold. He turned, looking surprised to see a young woman. "I'll buy the girl from you." She outstretched the money.

Yes, maybe one noble throwing one gold coin was only a little. But she had danced for more than a hundred nobles, and most of them had tossed her money.

The slaver eyed the bag hungrily, but shook his head, smirking. "Sorry, lass, not sure if it's enough for this prize." He gestured towards Ioa.

_This prize. She's a damn person, you slug! _Cass wanted to scream at the man. This just made her so mad, how they treated slaves. It made her want to hit him with something.

"Nonsense." Cass said firmly, trying to get a grip on her anger. She loosened the drawstring on the bag and let him see the money within. His eyes were drawn to the gold. "It's plenty. A hundred gold coins."

He looked like he wanted to snatch it from her, but still he hesitated. "Still not sure. After all, she is a rarity."

This time, Cass _did _lose her temper. "_Her name is Ioa._" She hissed. "_And she's a person, not a thing._"

"She's a slave." The man said scornfully.

"A person. A real person, a child, you monster!"

"You'd better watch your tongue, girl. I might get so impatient that I'll cut it out." He sneered.

Cass brought her hand up before she could stop it, and slapped him right across the face. Before she could do it again he grabbed her wrist.

She tried to struggle, to break free, but his grip was too strong. She opened her mouth furiously, but someone beat her to it. "What's going on here?"

Both turned. Cass froze, and her heart went from "slow walk" to "fifty-meter dash".

It was him. It was him it was him it was him. She felt her mouth drop and her eyes widen.

She could never have mistaken him. The blue-green eyes, pale complexion, deadblack hair. It was that little prince, all grown up and confident now.

The thought somehow made her sad. _He's not the crying boy I comforted in the Library. Now anymore. He's probably forgotten all about me; after all, I was just a slave. _Her heart dropped into her shoes. _He probably found another little girl to play with._

* * *

She looked _so familiar _it wasn't even funny.

He frowned, searching his brain and sifting through memories. It was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't place her face, especially when the shock in her expression melted to calm and then impassivity. She bowed her head, and the slaver dropped her wrist, bowing as well.

* * *

Cass bobbed into a hurried curtsy, lowering her eyes until she looked at his shoes. "My lord." She said quietly, proud that she didn't sound like she was being strangled, which is how she felt.

He looked at her once- a searching, almost confused look- and then frowned at the slaver. "What is going on?" He repeated.

"W-well..." The man stammered. The prince rolled his eyes.

"Since both of you look like you have speech impediments-" The sarcastic note in his tone was not missed. "-_I _shall explain what is going on. This girl wishes to buy this slave from you-" He nodded to Ioa. "-and is offering more than enough money, but you are being a stubborn brute and nearly hurt her."

The slaver's face turned purple and Cass suppressed a sad smile. _No longer that crying boy indeed. _She felt a little proud of him, as a mother might be proud of her child.

"She did not offer enough." The man muttered.

"Really? I was under the impression that she was being generous." Loki reached a hand out, gesturing for Cass to hand him the money, and she gave it to him without a second thought.

He poured it out into his hand, and Cass breathed in sharply.

She didn't think that she had _that _much. The gold spilling through his fingers must've counted at least to two-hundred.

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. _Magic. _She threw the prince a hard look, but he ignored it, keeping a straight face as he stared at the slaver. There was a brief test of wills.

Finally, the man unlocked Ioa's chains and thrust the blonde at Cass, snatching the pouch of money from Loki. "Take her." He growled, and left.

Ioa grabbed Cass and hid her face in her skirts, sobbing. "He-he took me! I didn't want to leave; he took me! They sold me!" Tears streamed down her face as she cried.

In that moment, no one else existed to Cass but herself and the little girl. She knelt down and held the shaking slave in her arms, murmuring words of comfort in her ear.

_"You can't take me away!"_

___"You can't take me!"_

She closed her eyes and stroked her golden hair.

"Touching." Someone murmured, and her eyes shot open. She had totally forgotten Loki was still standing there, regarding them with curious ocean eyes.

Cass straightened and curtsied again, averting his gaze. "Thank you, milord." She stammered. "Thank you for helping me."

"It was my pleasure." He was still looking at her like that, like she was a puzzle to be figured out.

_Please don't recognize me. _Cass prayed. _Please don't recognize me please don't recognize me please don't recognize me. _

"Do I know you?" He asked politely, leaning against the side of a building. Cass took Ioa's hand and started to walk, trying to get away from the prince.

"I-I do not think so, my lord." She murmured. He followed them, keeping pace easily.

"Really? I thought I knew all the courtiers of Asgard."

_Damnit. _"Oh, I have seen you, my lord. But you just haven't noticed me; I mostly keep to myself at formal parties." She lied, frantically fabricating a story. She tended to ramble when she lied.

"Mm." She wasn't sure he believed her. "What is your name?"

"Ca- Beatrice." Cass internally cursed herself for the verbal slip-up.

"Beatrice." Loki repeated, testing the name out. "Like Beatrice and Benedick?"

Against her will, a smile crossed Cass's lips. "Yes, very much like Beatrice and Benedick."

* * *

_Cass had her arms around Loki's waist and was looking over his shoulder as they sat amid the stacks of books in the Great Library. He was reading Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" to her._

_"I like Beatrice." Cass decided, interrupting the story. "She's very bold. She doesn't care much about being mean to Benedick."_

_"Yeah, and Benedick doesn't care much about being mean to Beatrice." Loki replied, grinning. _

_"They're both real nasty to each other."_

_"But they still fall in love."_

_"Sh!" Cass put a finger to his lips. "You're spoiling it for me."_

_Loki nodded, being unable to speak, and she put her hand down. His lips burned from the contact._

_"I like Beatrice." Cass repeated thoughtfully. "Her name is so pretty."_

* * *

Cass blushed at the memory, at how bold she had been, and Loki seemed a little distant too. His eyes slid out of focus, but he snapped back to reality when Ioa suddenly moved forward and hugged him.

"Thank you so much!" She said happily. "Thanks to you, I don't have to leave!"

Loki raised an eyebrow at Beatrice- Cass- who shrugged, but he knelt down so that he was eye-to-eye with the girl.

"Can you do a favor for me, Ioa?" He asked her seriously. She smiled, that beautiful, innocent little girl smile, full of sunshine and adoration.

"Anything."

"Okay, then." He snapped his fingers and suddenly he held a rose in his hand, a white rose, with a long green stem. The prince leaned forward and whispered in her ear, eyes flicking up once or twice to Cass.

Finally Ioa smiled. "Of course!" And she took the flower from his hands.

He winked at her. "Counting on you." And then he looked up at Cass and bowed, never breaking eye contact. "My lady."

She flushed at the thought of the Prince of Asgard paying such respect to a slave in disguise, but curtsied. "My lord."

There was the briefest moment of silence as they stared into each other's eyes, both of them dying to ask a question, both too shy to say it. And then Cass forced herself to tear her gaze away, grabbing Ioa's hand and pulling her away. "Let's go."

* * *

Her face was burned in his mind.

So familiar... so familiar... he could not place it. It was as if every time he tried to remember, he hit a wall that seemed impenetrable.

It was immensely frustrating.

_Beatrice. Beatrice. _He could hear her saying the name... _Beatrice. _

_I know of no Beatrices. It could be a lie. _He thought to himself.

_Or she could be being truthful. _He argued back. _And you are merely confusing her with someone else._

But no, he knew that he was not confused. That caramel hair, those hazel eyes... she was someone he knew, and she was lying to him.

* * *

"Quickly, _quietly._" Cass hissed, pulling Ioa in the kitchen through the back door.

The blonde had been humming, so euphoric by her rescue that she had been smiling nonstop. She caressed the white rose in her hands.

Both slaves breathed a sigh of relief as they entered the kitchen. Cass immediately started to pull the pins out of her hair, letting the light brown cascade down her back. Her scalp ached from the tightness of the braid.

Morwena- who had been waiting for them- dropped her knife and the vegetables she had been cutting and pulled Ioa into a tight hug. "Oh, my dear. You are safe."

Ioa squealed in protest. "You'll crush it!" She struggled in the cook's grip, holding the flower aloft in her hand, trying to protect it.

The girl was released, and Morwena sighed in relief. "Thank the gods. I thought something had gone wrong."

"Went off "without a hitch", as the Midguardians say." Cass lied.

Ioa smiled. "Yeah, there was a prince-"

"Oh!" Cass slapped a hand over the girl's mouth. "Come, Ioa, do you mind helping me out of this dress? I doubt I can do it alone; you know, the finery that nobles wear." She tugged the girl out of the kitchen.

"Don't tell anyone about Loki, okay?" She whispered furiously once they were out of ear-shot.

"You mean _Prince _Loki?"

Cass cursed herself internally. _Already you are slipping back into old habits. _"Yes, Prince Loki. Don't tell anyone."

"Why not?"

"Just... don't."

The meeting had shaken her more than she had realized. She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm the erratic beat of her heart. The last time she had saw him... no, that was a dangerous place, a secret place she had locked the door to. She couldn't enter anymore, that was forbidden territory.

"Cassie?"

The older girl snapped out of her reverie. "Hm?"

Ioa extended her hand, handing her the rose. Cass took it, surprised and confused. She arched a brow. "And why are you giving me this?"

"Because he told me to." Ioa said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "He said, 'Give the beautiful girl a present for me, will you? I'm afraid this prince is a little too shy.'"

Cass flushed scarlet. "Hush, surely you are exaggerating."

"Nope!" Ioa ran away, skipping.

The older slave examined the white rose in the hall, a small smile tugging on the corners of her lips and threatening to emerge on her face. _Not so changed then, is he. Sees a pretty girl and can't string a sentence together. _The grin melted from her face. _That's all it was then. The lingering stare; he merely thinks I was pretty. No recognition. _She sighed. _As if there would be._

* * *

_The little girl rose from her bed cautiously, her entire body tense. She turned her head from side to side, straining her ears for any bit of sound._

_Hearing none, she leapt from her seat, scurrying towards the window._

_This had been before people had grown possessive and paranoid, before the bars had been drilled onto the window frame._

_Her small body easily slid through the whole in the wall, and she dropped onto the soft grass outside the room._

I have to go back, I have to go back, I have to go back... _Was all she could think. She had to go back and tell her prince what had happened, that she was sold, that she could never see him again. _

_The thought of him so alone without her made the slave sad as she ran through the abandoned streets of Asgard. Her heart was beating like mad, from both adrenaline and excitement._

_She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't hear the footsteps until they were too close to avoid._

_Cass froze, terrified, when she saw her old slaver, no doubt going for a drink at one of the bars. She tried to move, to duck out of sight, but it was too late._

_He saw her and his eyes widened once before narrowing. A crooked grin alighted his features. _

_"Well, well, well." He had a whip, of course he did, he always did. He uncurled it from his belt, wrapping the handle around his fingers. "Look who it is. Lucky I brought this along, isn't it?"_

_The lashes rained down, one after another, like bits of fire. She couldn't scream; the pain stole her breath away and she writhed on the ground in silence. It robbed her of all thought, leaving only one:_

Stop, stop, stop, stop, please, someone make it stop, Mother, Father, God, Loki, anyone, just someone make it stop...

* * *

That night found Cass in the slave quarters, on her back, late at night, holding the chess piece in her hands and just staring at it.

The white marble was cold as ice under her fingers. She ran a fingertip over where the face would be if it was modeled after a human.

_"Will you be my queen, when I grow up, Cass?"_

_ "Of course, Loki!"_

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise!"_

_And he has the black king, to remind himself. _Cass thought, smiling faintly at the memory. It was a sad smile, and soon faded. _We were but children then. Those words mean less than nothing now. _She wrapped the piece back in the silk handkerchief and shoved it under the mattress again, wondering if she would be able to fall asleep that night.

And if she did, if the dreams would find her again.

She pulled the thin blanket over her form and smiled again to herself.

_Well, if they did, they wouldn't be entirely unwelcome._

* * *

Loki held something in his hands, turning it over and over as if words were supposed to appear and he would find the answer in those words.

_Now I know why she looks familiar... Cass. She has Cass's eyes. _

_But not her standing. Cass disappeared long ago... she's most likely dead. _A thought hit him like a blow. _Maybe it was my fault, for being her friend. Father never liked me hanging out with her. Maybe he took her, and killed her..._

The image of her broken and bloody body made him squeeze his eyes shut and clench the black chess piece in his hands. _No, no, no..._

There was a knock at his door. "Brother?"

Loki sighed. "Not right now, Thor. Leave."

Of course, his brother didn't listen, and Thor entered, a concerned look on his face. "Brother, where were you? Mother missed you at dinner."

"I was lost in thought and lost track of time." Loki said shortly. It was half-true. He had been thinking, but had on purposely not gone to dinner. Frigga could always tell when he had something weighing heavily on his mind. He did not need her interrogations today.

"Oh..." Thor took a seat next to him. "Loki, what is it that plagues you?"

Loki's stomach twisted. Was he really being that obvious? "What do you mean, Thor?"

The blonde nodded at his hands. "You keep playing with that chess piece." He cracked a grin. "Did someone finally beat you?"

The Dark Prince snorted. "As if! Not even the Allfather has beaten me at this game."

"Then why...?" He gestured towards the black king again.

Loki examined it, running a finger over the base and sighing. He replaced it back on his shelf, where he normally kept it, half-hidden from sight. "It's nothing, Thor. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone."

His brother nodded in understanding and left.

Loki stared at the chess piece for a long time.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry you had to wait so long for this to come out. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and please tell me if there is some plot hole or anything!**

**Oh yes! I love reviews. Usually I respond to them too. I'll be your best friend if you review!**

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	4. Memories

**A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in so long! I meant to update last weekend, but you see, my relatives came to my house, and then I've been busy this week with school (it started on Wednesday) and now I'm probably going to have to resort to weekly updates, on Friday or Saturday or Sunday, when I have the most time to write.**

**Anyway, thank you to all of my reviewers, especially guest reviewer anon****! I appreciate your lengthy reviews; every author does a mental happy dance when they see that someone took the time to write something long.**

**Enjoy the chapter! Sorry that it's short.**

**3rd POV**

His memory was being rather frustrating today.

Every time he tried to remember Cass- all of the conversations they had shared, the mischief they had caused, the games they had played, the people they had teased- it seems like his mind would fill with empty white fog.

But as he searched harder, he was surprised that he had forgotten the slave girl at all. A few weeks after she had left, it seemed like she had slipped to the back of his mind, hiding.

Strange indeed.

The blank fog persisted, but so did he, and soon more and more of the memories came back.

He remembered the day that he first started to like her.

_It had been a couple weeks after he had met Cass. It was sunny, and he was running through the marble-paved corridors, excited to see her, passing the entrance to the garden on the way to their meeting place._

_He slowed as he looked at the garden._

_It was beautiful at this time of the year, with all of the flowers in full bloom and most of them seeming to defy all laws of biology with their beauty. Blossoms that shouldn't be flowering were, trees that should have died were flourishing._

_And in the middle of the vibrantly green grass was Thor and all of his friends, the group made up entirely out of boys except for one girl who seemed to be trying to stand on her head to the cheers of the rest of the crowd. Loki felt his stomach twist, but not uncomfortably so._

_Sif._

_Even upside down, the little goddess was pretty. Chocolate-colored wavy hair and dark eyes and a playful smile that drove guys crazy._

_He was so intent on staring at her that he didn't even realize that he had stopped his pace altogether._

_A couple of Thor's friends noticed his gaze, and whispered to each other, heads together, for a few seconds. Then matching devious smiles graced their lips and they called out to him, shouting his name._

_"Loki!" They waved, and he started, looking surprised that they had addressed them. He instinctively looked behind him to see if they were calling for perhaps some other Loki. "Loki! Come! We wish for you to play with us!"_

_He had felt both delighted and guilty, remembering that he promised to meet Cass. Then he decided, _It's okay. She'll understand, or I can make up an excuse.

_And he went out to the garden. Thor looked especially pleased that his friends had finally invited his younger brother into the group, and he clapped Loki on the back enthusiastically, smiling._

_"What shall we play?"_

_"A Midguardian game!" One of the boys who had invited Loki over said immediately. He grinned, and pulled the scarf from his neck. Then he fastened it over the second prince's eyes. "You call out "Marco!" and everyone else says "Polo!". Using the shouts, you find your opponent. If you tag someone, then they become Marco. But you can't peek! And everyone has to stay in this area!"_

_Loki had nodded, although his gut instinct screamed danger. He ignored it. _They're finally accepting me. _He was overjoyed._

_"Ready... set... go!" He heard the children scramble off into different directions. Blindly, he put his hands out in front of him. _

_"Marco!"_

_"Polo!" The cry was echoed all around him. He picked the closest voice and started to head slowly towards it, fingers probing the air._

_"Marco!"_

_"Polo!"_

_"Marco!"_

_"Polo!"_

_But he didn't see someone stick out their foot (because he was blindfolded) and suddenly he stumbled, just as another boy pushed Sif in the way._

_And, of course, just as the two boys had intended, he fell right onto the girl, knocking them both to the ground._

_Loki ripped the blindfold off, and when he saw whom he had landed on, his face reddened immediately. Sif had frozen, looking too surprised to say anything at the moment, brown eyes wide with shock._

_"Aw, aren't they cute together?" Both children looked up to see that the other boys (minus Thor) had joined in a semicircle around them, all wearing identical, malicious smirks. And then they all started to chant:_

_"Loki and Si-if,  
Sitting in a tree.  
K-I-S-S-I~!"_

_Sif- seeming to come to her senses- immediately got off the ground, face flushed with embarrassment and anger. She eyed the prince still on the ground with thinly veiled disgust, and made a face._

_"-N-G.  
__First comes love-!"_

_Loki shot his brother a look that said, _Help. _Thor was just standing there, looking torn between amusement and disapproval. He hesitated, and Loki felt tears of shame and humiliation burn his eyes._

_He ran out of the courtyard as fast as he could._

_She had found him in one of the many cleaning closets lining the palace halls. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he had his head buried in his arms, so he didn't see or hear the door crack open and then close again._

_And then there was a hand on his shoulder. He flinched away, thinking momentarily that it was the boys again, but then saw that it was only Cass._

_"How do you always manage to find me?" He asked finally, in slight awe, after managing to calm himself down enough to speak coherently._

_She smiled, softly, sadly, not wearing her usual joyous grin. "Easy." She sat down, sitting close to him, putting an comforting arm around his shoulders. "I just think of where I would hide if I were you, and there you are."_

_He shrugged, avoiding her gaze, and she said, "Tell me what's wrong."_

_She did not ask him, "Where were you?" or "Why didn't you come to the meeting place?". She wanted to know what was wrong._

_And it wasn't even a question. But it wasn't a demand either. It was a tender invitation, and he broke down at the gentleness in her voice._

_In a slightly strangled tone, he relayed what had happened. It made him feel calmer, relating to her the story. She was silent for a little while after he had finished._

_Then, finally, Cass asked, carefully, "You like Lady Sif?" There was an emotion in her voice that he couldn't identify._

_He shrugged. "Not anymore. She won't even look at me. Besides, she likes _Thor._"_

_She giggled at the contempt in his voice when he said his brother's name. "You should hear the other slave girls talk about him. It's a little disturbing, actually."_

_"What do they say?" He was curious despite himself._

_"They _all _think he's _cute_. And he _is _a prince after all." Her skeptical tone and eye roll at the end of the sentence made it clear how she felt about her fellows' feelings about the heir to Asgard. "They adore him."_

_"And you don't?" He meant it as a tease, but found his heart pounding in anticipation of her answer._

_"No!" She said immediately, shaking her head from side to side as if the idea was repulsive to her. "He's too..." She struggled for a word. "...proud. It's annoying." She added matter-of-factly._

_"What do they say about me?" _

_She poked him in the side, tickling him slightly. "They say you eat maidens' souls."_

_The idealism was so different from their thoughts about Thor, and so absurd, that it made him laugh. She joined in, and then they were both laughing and tickling each other and planning their next prank._

* * *

It was a little pathetic, how her mind kept on drifting for the next few days.

She could be scrubbing the halls, or washing the dishes, or heck, helping Lenora and ignoring her boy rants, but he would always pop up in the back of her mind, and then slowly surface to the front.

She would unconsciously allow herself a little thought, something like, _I wonder if he still causes mischief _or _I wonder if he still remembers everything I taught him about lying. _And then she would give herself a mental slap in the face and curse.

_No, _faen*, _I can't afford to think like that!  
_

He was a grown man now, a prince, not the self-conscious and vulnerable little boy that she used to know. He had probably grown out of all those childish things that they had done together, forgotten her, forgotten all that they ever had.

_This is ridiculous. _She reminded herself. _I refuse to be a fangirl._

Despite his lack of attention when he was younger, now he had quite the fan club. He was, after all, a prince. And of Asgard, no less. Plus, she personally knew of a few nobles that liked the dark and mysterious type.

_There I go again. _

"Cassiopeia? You _are _listening to me, right, Cassiopeia?"

Cass jolted herself out of her thinking and offered Lenora a smile in the mirror. "Of course I am, ma'am. I find your speeches to be wholly interesting."

The noble huffed, blowing a strand of her hair out of her rather beautiful face, obviously not catching the sarcasm. "I hope so." She went back to staring at her reflection. "What do you think of this look on me?"

"Beautiful." The lies came so easily. She had been using them for so long, it was more of a natural reflex. _You taught he-who-must-not-be-named to lie too._

Cass was supposed to be doing Lenora's hair. She was currently weaving delicate crystals and flowers into her light brown locks, trying to suppress the bit of envy that arose within her when she thought about all the care that went into the girl's appearance. _Am I really that different from her? Why is it that I am treated so differently?_

But she hurriedly squashed those thoughts. _I am a slave. I should not think like that.  
_

_"You're not a slave! Why is it that you always degrade yourself to sound so... _beneath _me? You're just like me! An Asgardian! And I'm never going to forget that!"_

She clenched her eyes shut. _Get out of my head._

***cursing in Norwegian**

**A/N: So, this chapter just basically shows some more of their relationship and history together. Sorry that it's a tad short; I hope to make them longer in the future.**

**The next chapter actually starts the action.**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	5. Play At Hearts

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed, favorited, followed! I genuinely appreciate it, and thank you especially to guest reviewer anon for leaving such a lengthy review!**

**Please enjoy!**

**3rd POV**

"A masquerade?" Loki echoed, eying his brother skeptically, as if wondering whether or not he was joking. "Are you playing some version of a trick on me, Thor?"

"That is your forte, brother." The blonde replied, smiling, looking like he was trying not to laugh. "I am being wholly serious."

His brother just groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on. "I almost wish that you were jesting me. _Why _do I have to attend this infernal thing?"

"Mother insists. She seems to find you... ah, how did she put it? "Lonely and without companionship, if you do not count the plethora of books he reads."" This time, Thor _did _laugh. He never passed up a chance to tease his younger brother on his constant pursuance of knowledge, which he found quite amusing.

Another moan. Loki knew that he couldn't ignore a direct order, especially from his mother. If Odin had commanded it, he might have at least argued, but with Frigga, he knew that protestation was pointless. She would force him to go no matter what he said or did or threatened to do.

"But _why_? And do not pull that "lonely" bull with me. There is some political reason to this. Otherwise father would not bother to tell mother to convince me."

Thor shrugged, dropping the façade. "You would have to talk to father about that. But I _do_ know that a number of courtiers will be showing up."

_That _got his attention, but he didn't dare let it show. "Oh?" He asked casually, trying to extract more information. "More than usual?"

Thor wasn't fooled. Loki rarely asked casual questions. He regarded his younger brother with unsuppressed suspicion, an almost wary look in his sky-blue eyes. "Are you planning a trick, Loki?"

He put on a mock-hurt expression. "Dearest brother, how could you accuse me of such a thing?" But he couldn't stop the smile from stretching his lips.

The prince scoffed. "Based on your history, I think that an accusation of such is perfectly reasonable. When we were children, I couldn't walk two feet without hearing an angry outburst."

"Ah, the good old days."

"You and that slave girl were as thick as thieves."

The grin faded from his face instantly. _Again, Cass. _"You still remember her?"

Thor shot him an incredulous look. "How could I forget? Do you have any idea how many times she dyed my hair red in my sleep?"

This statement effectively stunned him into silence.

_Thor remembers her? _There was a pang in his heart. _Then how come I can't?_

"How... much do you remember?" He worded the next sentence carefully.

"Plenty." The blonde scoffed, obviously oblivious to his brother's inner turmoil.

"Not foggy?"

"Not at all. Why?"

"I blame curiosity. Forget I asked."

* * *

"Oh, _Cassie_."

Cass turned, a wicker basket of dirty laundry in her arms. Her face was flushed and sweaty- she had been doing a ton of running around that day.

She saw Ioa standing before her, smiling mischievously, shifting hyperactively from one foot to the other.

She recognized the expression too well. He_ used to look like that when- _

_No! Stop! _She mentally slapped herself again. _Stop thinking about him! _

"Yes, Ioa?" She blew a limp strand of her hair out of her face. It flopped back onto her forehead and she gave up trying to look at least partially neat.

"Can you come here for a sec? I have a _surprise _for you!"

Cass internally groaned. _I don't have time to play games. _"I'm really busy with chores right now, Ioa..."

"Just a few seconds. Please?" She widened her eyes, pleading.

How could Cass resist that look? She put down her laundry with a sigh, resting it against her hip. "Fine. What is it?"

The younger girl's face lit up. "Thank you!" She hugged her, and then started to run off in the other direction. "This way!"

Another sigh. _Where does she get that energy?_

Ioa led her to the kitchen, where Morwena was rolling out bread dough. She spared the girls a smile. "Oh, hello. What's going on?" She washed her hands of the flour and wiped them on a towel, raising her eyebrows.

"I brought her, Morwena!" Ioa said proudly. "We can show her the surprise now, right?"

"Right." Morwena ruffled the blonde's hair fondly and winked at Cass. "This way, Cassie."

The older girl was beginning to get tired of this game. She set down the laundry in the corner. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Sh!" Ioa put a finger to her lips, still grinning. Whatever it was, it was working her up into a frenzy of excitement. She was literally hopping from one foot to the other.

This time they led her to a side room, where there was a package sitting on a chair, innocent and innocuous, wrapped neatly in brown paper.

Morwena closed the door and Ioa snatched it up and presented it to Cass with the air of naming her supreme ruler of the universe. "Here! It's a present for you! Or, part one of your present."

The older girl took it gingerly. "Is it alive?"

"No, silly!"

"So it's inanimate."

"Yes."

"Will it make me scream?"

"With delight!"

Feeling somewhat reassured, Cass untied the string and pulled away the paper.

And gasped.

It was a dress, a beautiful dress, made of green silk with gilded edges, embroidered with gold leaves and vines along the bodice, trimmed with black lace. The skirt was long and full. Resting on top of the dress was a green and gold face mask.

It was beautiful.

Cass looked up to see both Morwena and Ioa beaming at her. "I don't... understand." She lifted the dress up reverently. "Why... why did you...?"

"Make it for you?" Ioa jumped up and down and clapped her hands with childish glee. "That's part two! You're going to the masquerade ball that the royals are having in a few days!"

She might as well have said, "We're going to turn you into a hyena and put you into a zoo!" Either statements would have left her just as flabbergasted.

"But... I am just a slave..."

"No! That's the whole point of the ball! You have to go in a disguise!" Ioa picked up the mask. "That's why we made you this as well! No one will recognize you! Oh, you'll look so beautiful, Cassie! Just like a real princess!"

"It's a thank you gift for saving Ioa." Morwena said softly. "We thought that you deserved something nice for once, Cassie. For helping her." She put an arm around her shoulders. "For helping all of us."

Cass just stared at the two.

And then she sank to her knees, the dress still in her hands, and started to sob. Tears of happiness made their way down her cheeks.

_Truly, I have good friends. _She looked up at the cook and the slave. _Very good friends._

* * *

"It's so pathetic, it's not even funny." Lenora laughed to herself. "Well, maybe it is a little funny. I mean, can you just see him, trying to talk to me?"

"I can indeed." Cass lied smoothly, so accustomed to the falsehoods that she didn't even have to think about them anymore. It was more of a subconscious action now. "Have you picked your next candidate yet?" _More like victim. I pity the poor boy that she sets her eyes on next.  
_

"Funny you should ask that." Lenora rolled over so that she was laying down on her stomach and rested her chin on her interlocked hands, giving Cass the lopsided, playful smile that drove guys crazy. "I think that I have?"

"Oh, then please tell, milady." Cass picked up another discarded piece of clothing from the floor, hanging it up in the noble's closet. _Such a pity. She has such nice clothing, and she doesn't even bother to take care of them._

The promise of the dress and the upcoming masquerade ball had worked her into a frenzy of excitement, one that she could barely conceal. It seemed so surreal that she was actually going to once such party.

_If I'm caught..._ She shuddered. _No, don't even go there._

"Well, I'm not sure I should tell you..." Lenora trailed off, trying to look hesitant. It really was all an act. The girl _loved _having others beg her for information.

Cass didn't waste any time in giving her what she wanted. "Oh, _please, _milady? Indulge your humble servant in a little of your genius." That was another thing that Cass loved about Lenora. She was so stupid that she could never catch her sarcasm.

"Well... I don't know..."

"I am at the edge of my seat, milady."

"Fine." Lenora was squirming with excitement, and she started to ramble. "Now, I've decided to shoot a little high this particular time. So I want to go for a prince."

"The Vanir prince? The Alfheim prince?"

"No, silly! One of the Asgardian princes."

The slave froze when she heard that, and she almost forgot to goad Lenora on. "Which one?" She asked hastily, standing up to stare at the girl on the bed.

"The secondborn, surprisingly."

Cass felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of icy water on her. _Loki? She wants to go for Loki? _There was a pang in her heart. _My little prince?_

_Why do you care? _She scolded herself. _His relationships are of no matter of yours. Let her pursue whom she wants. _But her heart still hurt.

She closed her eyes.

_"Will you be my Queen, when I grow up, Cass?" _She could still hear his words in her head.

"-ss? Cassiopeia, are you listening to me?"

Cass immediately straightened, snapping herself out of the reverie and forcing a smile. "Yes, of course I am, milady. I was just surprised that you were going for such a high prize. Do you think you can get it?"

"Oh, I'm fairly sure of my abilities." Lenora smiled slyly.

"Yes, but... do you think that the secondborn prince is _worthy _of your attentions? I mean, really, shouldn't you go for the firstborn?"

"Well, I thought of that at first." Lenora admitted. "But then it occurred to me that the secondborn- Loki, I think his name is- has never had a lover." She grinned again. "So, you see, if I can be his girl and _then _break his heart... well, I would be the first. It would boost my reputation."

Cass's first reaction to that was shock, and then anger.

"Break his heart? How could you be so cruel? You play at hearts as you might play at catch, and yet you are so clumsy with them as you fling it to and fro that your opponent's always ends up damaged and broken by the end! This is an Asgardian's vulnerable _emotions_ that we are talking about!"

At least, that is what Cass would've _liked _to say. And yet, she bit her tongue, reminded herself bitterly of her standing.

_She's going to hurt Loki! _Her rebellious side argued furiously.

She bit down harder and tasted blood in her mouth.

"What will you do afterwards?" Cass asked Lenora in a strangled voice. The latter was so pleased with herself that she didn't even notice her friend's emotional conflict.

"Oh, then I'll probably go for Thor." She said thoughtfully, smirking. "Oh, poor Loki- he'll be so sad after I leave him for his brother."

The blood was roaring in Cass's ears now. _This... this... _mewling quim _is planning on hurting him. On purpose. For her reputation._

_ I can't let her win him._

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for sticking with me!**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	6. Masquerade

**A/N: Sorry that I haven't updated it a while! I hope you guys aren't too mad at me!**

**Anyway, thank you so much to everybody who favorited, followed, and especially reviewed! It makes me so happy! And I update faster!**

**Let's make a deal- the faster you review, the faster I update.**

**3rd POV**

_Cass giggled furiously as she clung to the tree branch above her for dear life. She looked curiously like a sloth, hanging under the tree limb, her light brown hair dangling beneath her._

_"What if we fall out?" She whispered to Loki, who was perched next to her._

_"We can tell them we were examining the bird's nest." The prince said seriously._

_The slave girl looked around her, craning her neck. "There's no bird's nests."_

_"Then we don't fall out." Loki stealthily parted the branches, peering out of the tree they were hiding in._

_There, in the clearing, stood Thor, ringed by his friends, facing off with Fandral as the others cheered and booed with every swing of their wooden swords. Nearby stood a few pitchers of water and an assortment of snacks (no doubt a gift from the cooks in the kitchen for the firstborn prince of Asgard)._

_"Come on, let's get this done already." Cass complained. She shifted her position and made a face. "All the blood is rushing to my head."_

_Loki turned to raise his eyebrows at her. "Then why are you hanging like that?"_

_"It's more fun."_

_"It's fun when all the blood is rushing to your head?"_

_"Yes! I mean no! I mean... arg, must you always twist my words?"_

_"It's my job."_

_"Silvertongue." She tsked._

_"Silvertongue?"_

_"That's my new nickname for you. It's already stuck with some of the other slaves, and even some of the kitchen aides. Get used to it."_

_"Gee, thanks." Loki rolled his green eyes. "We're here to play a trick, not argue about nicknames, remember?"_

_"Right. But you keep on stalling!"_

_"I'm not stalling!"_

_"Yes you are! Just do it already! I want to see their expressions!"_

_The prince looked up at the slave girl's face, flushed with excitement, eyes shining with anticipation. She did indeed look expectant._

_"As you wish, princess." He said, only half-joking, and then waved his hand._

_Almost instantly, the jugs of water picked themselves up, floating towards the group of children. Said children were too absorbed in the fight to notice._

_At least, they were too absorbed in the fight to notice until the water was dumped on their heads._

_They all yelled in surprise, spluttering, gasping for breath, all of them thoroughly soaked to the bone. _

_Loki and Cass spluttered too, but with laughter, trying to supress their giggles as Thor shook his head like a wet dog._

_"C-classic..." There were tears in Cass's eyes. "Genius..." She was laughing so hard that she lost her grip on the branch._

_Eyes widening as she realized her mistake, she grabbed desperately, but missed and fell through the tree limbs, landing with a cry on the floor in the clearing._

_Her cry of pain brought the others, and of course they all started over, angry, looking like they wanted to beat the hell out of her._

_And then the snacks decided that this was an oppurtune moment to throw themselves at the group of kids._

_"Ah, hell, we're caught!" Loki jumped down from the tree, grabbed Cass's hand, and started to pull her away. "Retreat!"_

_And they laughed the entire way back._

* * *

Cass scrubbed arduously at the floor, grimacing every few seconds as her arms ached relentlessly. Her hands were wrinkled from the water.

_I hate these hallways. _She decided suddenly. _I _really _hate these hallways. _

This hall in particular was the one that the noble's son (Quinton) always came to play in, and left mud _everywhere. _And I mean, _everywhere. _How he even managed to get it splattered on the ceiling was beyond the slave girl.

_"Prithee, look back, prithee, look back,_  
_There's blood on the track,  
The shoe is too small;  
At home the true bride is waiting thy call."_

She was so absorbed in her task that she didn't even notice that she was singing. The little half-hummed songs always came to her when she least expected it, all memorized from her favorite book- the last gift her mother had given her before she had died: _Grimm's Fairy Tales._

___"Prithee, look back, prithee, look back,_  
_There's blood on the track,  
The shoe is too small;  
At home the true bride is waiting thy call."_

The book was a small, scarlet volume that was falling apart at the spine, with the title stamped on the spine in spindly gold letters.

_"Prithee, look back, prithee, look back,  
__No blood's on the track,  
__The shoe's _not _too small;  
__You carry the true bride home to your ha-"_

"What is this?"

Cass nearly jumped five feet in the air at the sound of a deep masculine voice from behind her. She spun around.

It was Lenora's new lover- the one that had replaced the "total bore". They had been together for nearly a week now. But Cass knew that his heart was only going to be broken in a few days time when Lenora abandoned him for the Dark Prince of Asgard at the ball.

_She's going to go to _your _Loki. _The thought sent a pang through her heart, and she tried her best to ignore it.

The man in front of her was, of course, terribly handsome (Lenora's wouldn't have had him if he wasn't) with dark blonde curls and brown eyes and a tanned complexion. He was surveying her with an air of amusement.

She jumped to her feet, hurriedly bowing, dropping her rag next to her bucket. "I apologize, my lord, if my work is disturbing you."

"It is." He started slowly across the hall, his dirty riding boots leaving deliberate tracks across the newly scrubbed floor. Cass inwardly cringed as each step made a new footprint that she had to reclean. He smirked.

"Perhaps next time, you'll take care to be a little more quiet." And with this he sent an aimed kick at the bucket of filthy water, making it topple over and creating even _more _of a mess for her to tidy up. "And a little more efficient."

* * *

Lenora was even more self-conscious that evening than usual. But that was to be expected. She had been invited to the masquerade party as well.

"Brush my hair!" She would shriek. "Do my makeup! Iron my dress!"

It was just one menial task after the other. Polishing shoes, fetching her necklace, then going back and fetching another necklace because she didn't like the other one, stealing her mother's perfume, along with other things.

When she was finally- _finally- _ready, of course she looked gorgeous. Lenora was the girl that could look gorgeous in any outfit, really, but this especially thought-out one made her look almost like a goddess.

She turned around in front of the mirror, critically examining herself from every angle, and then finally nodded her satisfaction.

"He won't be able to take his eyes off me." She said, smiling.

* * *

"Just a little longer, Cassie." Morwena murmured. "Be patient."

Cass nodded obediently and tried to sit absolutely still, a skill she had been struggling with since she was a child. She momentarily smiled as she remembered how fidgety she was when she was younger.

"There." The cook finished with Cass's hair and sounded satisfied. She felt the gentle pressure of the mask being put onto her face, and then heard Morwena say, "You may open your eyes now."

Cass obeyed and gasped.

She looked completely unrecognizable, with her hair braided and then twisted into an elaborate bun in the back of her head, held up with gold pins. Her dress hid the scars on her shoulders and back (unfortunately not the particularly nasty one of her collarbone, but one showing was okay). Her mask hid her face.

"Remember, the whole point of the masquerade is to be completely unknown, so you won't be the only person there trying to hide their identity." Morwena reminded her. "So if someone asks you who you are, then just say it's a secret."

The slave girl nodded, still feeling unable to speak.

"You better get going if you want to make it there on time."

"I was actually going to arrive a little late." Cass said, finally recovering her speech. "So everyone is too focused on each other to notice the latecomer."

"That might be wise. Even so, better get going." Morwena smoothed the wrinkles in her dress and left.

Cass stood up, surveying the room around her. The slave's quarters were abandoned- the other slaves were eating in the mess hall.

As an afterthought, she reached underneath her mattress and pulled out the white queen chess piece wrapped in its handkerchief, slipping it into her pocket.

For good luck.

* * *

Loki was reading a book, peacefully disturbing no one, when his door opened with a crash. "_Brother_!"

He inwardly moaned. _I can just feel a migraine coming on. _"What is it, Thor?"

Thor surveyed him with distaste. "Have you not prepared yourself?"

The raven-haired prince stared blankly back. "For what?"

"The masquerade!"

Another moan. "That was _today?_"

"Yes! And you should get ready!"

"Do I _have _to go?" He tried not to sound like a petulant child.

"Yes! And both father and mother agree with me!"

Silence. Then,

"Gods help me. Alright, give me half an hour to get ready."

* * *

_Oh gods. _Panic rose in her throat as she surveyed the hall with dismay.

It was _packed _with people, all wearing elaborate dresses and tunics, many woven or sewn with gold and silver, wearing masks studded with jewels.

Even with their masks on, you could tell which ones were the gods. They were the most beautiful, the most graceful, the most radiant, and could've been spotted from a mile away. They were dressed in colors respective to the aspect of life they ruled over, so it was easy to pick them out.

And the decorations!

The hall was gleaming (_Slave labor, _She thought with distaste), so clean that you could see you could see yourself in the polished floor (_Just in case the gods/goddesses want to check their stunning reflections._). There were tables pushed against the wall, draped with pure white tablecloths, laden with foods and delicacies of all kind. A group of black-clad musicians were standing on a raised platform near the front of the room, chatting idly with some of the guests, killing time before it was their turn to play.

_I... think I'm going to die. I need some fresh air. _Cass turned desperately towards the entrance, but it was blocked by arriving guests, and she decided that she would rather stay inside than risk being noticed.

_I don't belong here. _She reminded herself, swallowing. _I'm a slave; these are nobles and princes and princesses and kings and queens and gods and goddesses! What am I doing here? _

She was about to start panicking when she heard someone crying.

A child.

Instinctively, she turned towards the sound. It was a small boy with brown hair and bright green eyes that were currently red and puffy, and tears were streaming down his face. His mask- forgotten- was held up on a cord around his neck.

Cass hated it when people cried, especially children. She always remembered how many times she had wept in her youth, and how many times no one was there to comfort her.

There were too many times.

She moved forward, sitting on the floor next to the kid so that they were eye-to-eye. "Are you okay?" She asked in her most gentle voice. "Why are you crying?"

He looked up, and tried to cover his face. "I'm not crying." He said gruffly.

Cass allowed herself a brief smile behind her mask. _"I'm not crying." Why is it that young boys always deny it?_

"Yes you are." She felt like she was reliving the past when she brushed away the child's tears. "Why?"

He dropped his gaze. "I... don't want to talk abou it." He muttered.

"Well, if you don't, then why don't I tell you a story, to make you feel better?" Cass offered, placing her hands on the boy's shoulders.

He perked up immediately, looking up at her with big green eyes. "Oh, would you?" He asked, the ghost of a smile flittering around his mouth.

"Of course!" She took his hand and led him over to the side of the room, where they would be less conspicuous. She sat down, and placed the boy on her lap. "What kind of story would you like to hear, young sir?"

He smiled now, a full grin. "A story about a kingdom, far far away! And a brave soldier!"

Cass smiled back, although it was hidden by her mask. "I think I know the story you want." She cleared her throat. "_There was once a brave soldier who had served his father well and faithfully for many years, but on account of his many wounds he could serve no longer. The King said, "You can go home now. I have no further need for you, and I can only pay those who serve me."_

_The soldier did not know what to do for a living..._"

* * *

Loki surveyed the room, feeling undeniably bored.

_Why did I let Thor talk me into coming? _He wondered to himself, leaning against a pillar, arms crossed, scornful smile disguised behind his mask. _This is so ridiculous it should be patented and sold._

Indeed, the evening was proving completely pointless in his eyes. It was just another excuse to dance and drink and make merry.

Thor had already gone off, surrounded by his friends and quite a few young women, all of them laughing at one of his war stories. He had already disregarded his mask, but it was unecessary; he would have been instantly recognized anyway.

_"...and he went sadly away. He walked all day till he reached a wood, and there in the distance he saw a light."_

Somehow, the voice cut cleanly through the buzz of quiet chatter in the room. And he recognized it.

He turned quickly towards where he had heard the voice, and saw a girl in a green dress. And despite the mask on her face, he could still identify the person.

He started to make his way across the room.

**A/N: Kudos to anyone who can guess the story she's reading! You get a preview! **

**Hint: it's on page 208 of _Grimm's Fairy Tales. _The original version.**

**What did you think of this chapter? A lot happened, so please give me some feedback!**

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	7. Well, When Will I Ever See Him Again?

**A/N: I'm sorry that this took so long to publish. I hope you like the chapter!**

**3rd POV**

_"...and the king, fearing for his life, gave up his daughter to the soldier and they were married and lived happily ever after." _Cass finished the story and smiled as the boy's mouth dropped.

"That's terrible! After all the bad things the soldier did to get revenge on the king, he still wins in the end?"

"That's right." Cass smirked.

"But that means that the bad guy won!" He sounded highly distressed.

She elbowed him slightly. "The good guy doesn't always win, you know. And not all the good guys get a happy ending."

"But the poor princess..." The boy sounded so regretful.

Laughing, Cass tweaked his nose playfully. "You sound unsatisfied. Shall I change up the ending for you?"

"Could you?"

"Of course." The slave girl closed her eyes, trying to come up with something happy. _"At first, the princess was horrified and, despite her marriage, adamantly refused to fall in love with her husband. Said husband grew increasingly worried for her health and went again to the dwarf that had granted his wishes._

_"The dwarf gave him a spell for him to use, to soften the princess's heart. Thanking him, the soldier went back to his palace and threw a party._

_"As per the spell, the newly crowned king danced the entire time with his queen, who was trying not to enjoy herself._

_"But as the evening wore on, she began to realize that her husband was not a completely terribly person. He had acted out of anger, and only wished for justice against the one who had done him wrong. With a start, she realized that it was her own _father _that was the bad guy in this story. _

_"And from that point on, she decided to love her husband, despite all of his wrongs. The End." _Cass smiled. "Is that the kind of ending you were looking for, my lord?"

"Much better." The boy said in a satisfied voice. Then he frowned. "Just one question."

"Fire away."

"The soldier managed to do all that with a spell? How did the spell work?"

"Oh, that's simple. All he had to do... was treat her with kindness."

"Kindness?"

"Indeed. And..." She slid out of her seat and took the boys hands, leading him out to the dance floor with a sly smile. "...a dance. Would you grace me with your presence for a dance, my lord?"

He smiled back. "Of course." He dropped in a clumsy bow.

* * *

He watched her take the hands of the boy she had been telling a story to, and he could hear the smile in her voice if he couldn't see it on her face.

Despite the mask she was wearing, he clearly recognized her if by tone alone. Beatrice. The girl who saved the slave through wits.

The slave. That smiling little blonde girl, with the river blue eyes and fair skin. He wondered if she had delivered his flower.

Beatrice was dancing a waltz with the little boy, having to stoop so that he didn't have to put on stilts. It was an awkward pair, but the young woman was moving with enough grace to make up for the little boy's clumsiness.

Surprisingly, it stirred up a memory, one that the Dark Prince grabbed on to before it could slip away back into the white fog.

* * *

_"You're late!" Cass pouted, her arms crossed, as Loki ran into the Library, panting, bracing his hands on his knees for support. He gave her a wry grin._

_"Give me a break. I was in dance class and my instructor was keeping me after because I was extra sarcastic."_

_At the word _dance, _a mixture of emotions appeared on his friend's face. "You take dance classes?"_

_"Well, yeah. I mean, as a prince..." Here, he straightened and put on his sternest face, matching his voice to the high-pitched one of his teacher. "...I must not turn away any young woman in search of a dance. After all, it might make me seem rude and would reflect badly on my kingdom."_

_Cass giggled, but she still looked... sad._

_A thought occured to him. "Cass, can you dance?"_

_The slave girl bowed her head and shook it, now just looking dejected. "I... my mother was going to teach me... but she never had the chance..."_

_Immediately, Loki mentally slapped himself. Cass usually never went into details about her family, or how she became a slave. That was one thing that she was very reserved about. _

_And then another idea came to him. "Well then. I know what we're doing today." And he grabbed her hand and marched out of the Library, searching for one of the abandoned ballrooms that he knew would be empty._

* * *

_"Put your hand on my shoulder." He ordered, and placed a hand on her waist and wrapped his fingers around her free hand. "There. Now follow my lead, and don't look down at your feet."_

_"How is that possible?" Cass asked in a mock-frustrated tone, but he could tell she was excited. They started to turn. "I've always wanted to learn to dance." She admitted. "But I've just never had the chance..."_

_He spun in her in an untidy circle. "Well, now you have your chance."_

_"I'm horrid at this."_

_"Everyone's horrid when they first start. You should have seen _me._ You're actually doing a pretty good job. Are you sure you haven't danced before?"_

_"My mother was a dancer." She confessed. "And a singer. That's all I really know. I remember that my father used to play the piano, and she would take my hands in hers and we would dance around the living room... she was so beautiful, I felt like an ugly duckling next to her."_

_"_You're_ beautiful." He blurted it out without thinking and flushed an uncharacteristic shade of red._

_She smiled in thanks, but he noticed that the lightest of blushes colored her pale cheeks as well. "Thanks. You're a good friend, Loki."_

_"I'm your _best_ friend. Always remember that."_

* * *

It was strange that Beatrice always brought back the memories he had of Cass. Loki tried to remember more, but his mind did not yield. He sighed.

Would he ever have all his memories of Cass back? Only time would tell.

Back to the situation at hand. Beatrice was still dancing with the boy- in fact, if Loki wa quite honest with himself, he was pretty sure that he was a god- but the song was drawing to a close. Soon, with one more quavering note from the musicians, the melody ended.

Beatrice smiled once more, curtsied, and left the dance floor, heading to the refreshment table, undoubtedly for some sort of drink. Loki silently followed.

* * *

Cass exhaled and fanned herself with her hand. Whew. For such a little boy, he sure had a lot of energy. And he was a pretty good dancer for one so young.

She remember when she had been at that age...

_Stop it! _Again, she mentally kicked herself. _You can't afford to get swept up in the past, Cassiopeia Quintonsdottir!_

Sighing and with a tiny shake of her head, she headed over to the food table, hoping to get a drink of water (no alcohol for her; despite her being overage, she couldn't afford to addle her wits tonight).

Just as she had received a crystal flute from a passing waiter, she felt a hand at her shoulder. "Hey."

She turned, and with a faint horror, realized that it was _Lenora's boyfriend, _with his dark hair and dark complexion and dark eyes. For one terrifying second, she thought that he had recognized her, but then he graced upon her a seductive smile and her fears were banished.

_No way he would flirt with a slave. _She breathed a sigh of relief. _My disguise is actually working quite well._

"Hello." He said in a sickly sweet voice that made her want to gag. He bowed, offerring her a hand. "Do you mind dancing with me?"

Her initial thought was _No way in Helheim! _but she knew that she couldn't refuse in such a way to a powerful noble.

But that didn't mean that she couldn't _refuse. _

"N-no thank you, my lord." She stammered out, stepping away slightly. "I'm rather tired right now..."

"Come on." He flashed that smile up at her again. "Just one dance?"

Cass's blood roared in her ears. Just a mere two hours ago he was mocking her and kicking over her bucket, with the intention of giving her more work, and now that she was all prettied up and masked, he was directing his attentions to her. _Pathetic. And I thought Asgardian nobles could stoop no lower._

"No." She said, more firmly now, stepping backwards.

_Now _he frowned, realizing that she wasn't just playing hard to get but just rejecting him completely. He took a step forward, and then another, forcing her to retreat even further from him. "Hey, I'm just trying to-"

Cass stepped on the back of her dress, causing her to stumble and cry out, falling backwards. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the hard floor beneath her...

...it never came. Instead, she felt someone catch her, arms encircling around her waist in an attempt to keep her aloft.

Cass opened one eye a crack to see- with even more horror- that it was _Prince Loki _who was her savior. She was so shocked that she didn't even move, didin't even try to break away from his paralyzing emerald stare.

_No. No no no no no no no, this can _not _be happening. _Cass's brain was spinning. _How come I keep running into him like this?! Why can't the Fates just leave me alone?! I can never go back!_

The moment was shattered when Lenora's lover muscled his way through the crowd, and when he saw the object of his flirtatious attentions in the arm of another- the second prince of Asgard, make no mistake- his frown deepened into a scowl. "Excuse me, _my prince-_" The title was no more than mockery on his lips. "-but didn't you notice that _I _was talking to her first?"

"In fact, I _did_ notice that." Loki said evenly, pulling Cass to her feet but not letting go of her. She stayed frozen. "And did _you _notice that she did not want to talk to you at all?" Here, he smirked. "I wonder what your girlfriend would say if she knew that you were flirting with another- even better, I wonder what she would say if she knew that you were cheating on her with that serving maid that cleans your father's castle."

Lenora's boyfriend engaged in a short stare-off, trying to see if Loki was serious about the threat. He was. So with a short, "Take her.", he left.

_Also _leaving Cass in an impossible situation.

* * *

As soon as that insufferable noble left, Beatrice seemed to find a sudden fascination with her shoes.

Loki let go of her, finally. "Well, thanks the gods he's gone."

"Can gods thank themselves?" She asked, but still didn't meet his gaze.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Good question. I would not know." The next song started, giving him an idea. He bowed. "Fair maiden, would you give me the honor of gracing your humble prince with your presence for the next dance?"

* * *

At his pretentious words, she couldn't help it. She laughed openly, turning away slightly from him to smother her giggles.

He seemed suprised. "What amuses you?"

"I... I'm sorry, it's just... such fanfare. Forgive me for saying this, but... in all honesty, propriety bores me."

"And here I was thinking I was the only one." She chanced a glance at him and she could tell that he was smiling behind his mask.

She knew that she shouldn't, but Cass took this brief amount of time to examine Loki, her prince, all grown up into a proper royal now. She justified her actions with _Well, when will I ever see him again? Might as well._

He was tall, taller than even Thor now, and his dark hair was still neatly trimmed; unlike his older brother, who let his golden hair grow out long. His form was lean and lithe, reminding her of a cat, and his skin was still as pale as ever. His profile seemed somewhat sharper, but not unpleasantly so.

Now that he was an adult, his godliness was much more prominent, and he seemed a little too perfect, a little too beautiful. She found herself missing the timid child that she had once known, when they had seemed equal.

Now he really seemed like a prince and she... she was only a slave.

But her eyes flicked once more to his, and suddenly her smile grew. His eyes were still the same, the same bright, emerald green, mischeivous and full of devilry.

_Well, when will I ever see him again?_

Cass placed her hand in his. "I accept your offer of a dance, though." She said in her most airy voice.

"You honor me." With another smirk, he pulled her to the dancefloor. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he put a hand on her waist, and they slowly spun.

"You're quite the dancer." He noted after a few seconds of silence.

She couldn't help but smile again, and she realized that she was actually enjoying herself. _Well_, w_hen will I ever see him again? _"I did learn from the best."

"Oh?" He twirled her around. "And who could that be?"

"A good friend of mine. When we were children, he taught me."

"He taught you well."

Even Cass with her skills had trouble keeping up with his steps. "Not well-enough, it seems."

"Don't sell yourself sho-"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, your highness!"

Suddenly someone bumped into the two, driving them apart, and Cass stumbled backwards. Loki too, looked surprised.

And then the slave felt like her heart had been replaced with a lead weight.

It was Lenora. _And of all the times to show up..._

_"He won't be able to take his eyes off me."_

Cass had to admit that Lenora looked simply gorgeous. Her light brown hair had been put into a rosette braid, with precious stones and flowers woven into her locks. Her dark scarlet dress was fitting and flattered every part of her, obviously tailored to fit her form, and the bodice was woven with gilt threads. Her mask might have hidden the top portion of her face, but her amber eyes stood out as striking as gold and her makeup was engineered in a way that she was recognizable and still more attractive.

With a look like that, you could've mistaken her for a goddess.

After shooting Cass a very dirty look, (but it didn't look like she had recognized her) Lenora immediately turned towards Loki, flashing him her perfect smile. "My sincerest apologies, your highness." She all but purred. "I was not looking where I was going..."

Cass swallowed her disappointment. _Seems like my time in his presence has come to and end..._ She did not hope for her prince to be invulnerable. After all, no man had been able to resist Lenora in all her days.

But, to both maidens' surprise, Loki looked completely unfazed. "It's fine." He sidestepped the noble and placed himself back at Cass's side. "Thank you for apologizing." And with that, he merely took the slave's hand in his again and pulled her away.

Cass felt like cheering. _Way to go, Loki! _He really wasn't that shy prince anymore, to go and rebuff Lenora's- _Lenora's- _charms so easily.

* * *

When the other maiden had showed up, his decision had been simple.

He _could have _danced with her. She obviously showed interest in him, which was a surprise. Most of the women at dances directed their attentions towards his brother.

But he didn't want to. The noblewoman just seemed so... artificial. So fake. Why would he spend his time in company that constantly reminded him of the terrible, suffocating propriety of royalty when there was Beatrice?

Beatrice. _"Propriety bores me." _She disliked all of the foofaraw* of nobility, and disregarded it for honest kindness and friendship. She was a breath of warm air, of spring wind, in the desolation of cold winter.

And yes, she reminded him of Cass.

He would never had admited it out loud, but that little similarity put him more at ease than he had ever been before. He just felt comfortable around her, as if they were best friends. Yes, she might not have been the slave girl, but... her personality comforted him anyway.

It was the closest he had to seeing Cass again.

"Where are we going?" Beatrice asked as he started to tug her away from the crowd.

"Away from this damn party." Was his reply.

* * *

She was glad when he took her to the royal gardens. She visibly relaxed, and let the familiarity of the place wash over her and transport her to places that she had sworn never to visit.

_I played so many times here, with the other slaves, with Loki... _A wave of sadness hit her. _And I can never return._

Cass was happy that she had been saved from the party. It was way too proper for her, unknown territory; she didn't know how to act like a noble lady. Out here, no one would care if she acted normal or not.

She pretended not to, but she feared that her rouse would be discovered. That someone would notice that she did not belong and point her out to their friends, and no one would know who she was, and she would be found out.

Loki let her catch her breath by sitting down on one of the benches. She panted quietly, and grimaced.

"Something wrong?" He asked her.

She shook her head ruefully. "Have you ever tried running in high heels?"

"Not really, no..." He replied dryly. "But it sounds like a painful endeavor."

"It is." She stood up and smirked. "Any real reason why you removed me from the ballroom?"

He wasn't fazed and instead offered her his arm. "I assumed you were tired of dances and decided to take you to somewhere more peaceful."

She laced her arm through his. _Well, when will I ever see him again? _"You assume correctly."

They walked, silently, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was the serene silence between two friends that have known each other for so long that they just let the quiet speak for them.

Eventually, he said, "So, Beatrice. From what realm do you hail?"

"Uh-uh!" She placed a finger over her lips. "Isn't information like that supposed to be classified today?"

"Then let's play a game." He gave her a challenging look. "Twenty questions. I have twenty questions to find out who you are."

"Too easy." Cass retorted.

"No direct questions."

"You only get five questions."

"Fifteen."

"Ten."

"Best offer I'll get, right? Fine, ten." He was quiet for a moment, considering what to ask.

They were walking through the garden pathways, arm-in-arm. The moonlight turned the frosted grass to silver, and the flowers drifted gently in the breeze.

"You are an Asgardian, correct?"

Cass nodded. It wasn't a lie. "By birth, yes. Nine questions left."

He rolled his eyes, but forged on. "What is your father like?"

Here, Cass paused. "I..." She had to come up with something. She couldn't say that he was dead. "He's a pianist." She said finally. "He's a kind man."

"Rather vague description."

"Not at all. Most nobles value strength above the arts and dedicate their time to fighting. Most don't take the time to learn to play instruments." She countered.

"True." He conceded, and she could tell that he was smiling behind his mask.

"Eight questions."

"What is your mother like?"

"She's a dancer." She said immediately. "And a singer. Her hair is the same color as mine, and... she's beautiful." Cass smiled and unconsciously echoed words that she said a long time ago. "I felt like an ugly duckling next to her."

Loki went silent, and suddenly Cass kicked herself for letting herself relive her past. _He doesn't even remember you, so don't even try._

"Seven questions."

"Right." He said absently, and the slave girl noticed with amusement that he looked a little flushed. "Um... what's your favorite flower?"

"That's an interesting question."

"Humor me."

Cass grinned. "Dahlias. They're gorgeous."

"Mm." With a snap of his fingers, a white dahlia appeared in his hands. He nodded towards her hair. "May I?"

_Well, when will I ever see him again? _The slave barely nodded, and couldn't help another smile. _His magic tricks have improved. _

He brushed a few strands of her caramel hair behind her ear as he perched the flower in her hair.

They had reached a gazebo, the wood painted white. Loki pulled her up the steps and bowed.

"May I offer you a dance, my lady?"

"Is that your fifth question?"

He smirked. "Yes."

_Well, when will I ever see him again? _"Then yes."

They listened to the echo of the music back in the hall, and he placed his hand on her waist and took her hand in his other, synchronizing their heartbeats to the melody inside. And then they slowly revolved on the spot.

"You still have five questions."

"Favorite dance?"

That was easy. He had taught it to her himself. "The Scandinavian Beggar Dance."

"Interesting taste."

"I'm an interesting person."

"Obviously." He twirled her around.

"Four questions."

"Favorite color?"

Loki's questions- which were originally intended to reveal more of her identity- were transforming into more of a getting-to-know-you game.

Looking up, she met his eyes. "Green. Any shade, but the darker ones are prettier in my opinion. Three questions now." She added.

"Which do you like better: Odin or Frigga?"

Cass raised her eyebrows. "I have to choose between your parents?"

"I won't tell them, I swear. I'm merely curious."

"Well..." Cass concentrated on her steps for a little while, contemplating her answer, before replying. "Queen Frigga."

"Why?"

"That's your penultimate question. I like her because she's the kindest woman I've ever known. I- some of my friends say that she even gives food away to the slaves." Here, she smirked. "She's the heart of the kingdom."

She pretended not to notice the sharp look that he gave her. She knew that she was dropping way too many past conversations for it to be considered normal, but at that moment she really didn't care. _When will I ever see him again?_

He was silent as he continued to dance with her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's wrong?"

Loki gave a sigh of frustration. "I'm almost out of questions and I can honestly say that I have absolutely no clue to who you are."

"You still have one left."

"Indeed." His eyes traveled down her face, as he was searching for something in it. "Just give me a moment."

Slowly he halted their dancing, but he didn't let go of her. She didn't move to pull away either.

It was electrifying, this one moment, the prince and the slave, staring at each other, both wanting to scream a question at the other but neither of them having the courage to ask.

_Is that you? _Loki's eyes asked.

_Can I go back? _Cass's eyes asked.

He took a step closer to her, and she did too. The Dark Prince dipped his head, bringing their faces milimeters apart.

Cass closed her eyes, and felt her hands shaking. _Well, when will I ever see him again?_

He slowly leaned down, hands moving towards her mask...

**A/N: Yeah, I know I'm evil to stop it right there.**

**They finally meet for the second time! And this time, they're actually talking. :)**

**But by what time did Cinderella need to get home? And what time is it nearing?**

**Tell me what you think; please review!**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


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